1. Technical Field
This invention relates to sewing devices for holding and positioning pins or other sewing implements, and more particularly to a pin moor or anchor for securing pins and other sewing implements in a desired position, and for positioning pieces of fabric by creating a network of supporting and positioning anchors or moors on a fabric surface.
2. Background Art
Various devices have been proposed and implemented for holding and positioning articles. Although prior devices have been adapted and used for various purposes, there exists a need for a pin moor or anchor for positioning and securing pins or other sewing implements in a desired location on a quilt or other piece of fabric.
When making a quilt, sewers begin a quilt project typically use three layers of material. The top of the quilt which is usually the work area of the project, into which they have often invested large amounts of time to develop. The batting is positioned in the middle, and then there is a backing layer for the quilt. Holding these three layers of the quilt together has been an effort for sewers for hundreds of years.
In the past, there have been methods and devices proposed and implemented for this task. For example, basting with a needle and thread has been done for many years and is still used by some quilters, although it is very labor intensive and takes hours of time and effort to implement.
Another method of holding layers of cloth together in quilting and other sewing operations is the use of a safety pin. The primary difficulties with safety pins is that the safety pins are hard to close and often get in the way of the machine being used or the hand needle when the quilting is being done. There have also been proposed and implemented devices and methods to help open and close the safety pin in sewing and quilting operations.
Another example of devices to help position and hold fabric in quilting operations is a plastic gun device which is used to shoot plastic tabs through the three layers of fabric. Such device is difficult to use, is inconsistent in operation, and leaves large holes in the fabric. Further, the plastic tabs shot by such device are difficult to remove from the cloth.
The present invention provides a means and a method for holding pins and other sewing implements in position when quilting or during other sewing operations. Although pins are very useful, easy to move around, and do not put large holes in the fabric, and are an effective way to hold pieces of cloth together, when used alone, there is nothing to hold them in place. In fact, this is a significant limitation of using pins or other sewing implements alone. The pin moor or anchor of the present invention provides a means to anchor and securely position the pin in a desired position by forming a network of supporting and positioning structures on the surface of the fabric. With the pin moor or anchor attached to the sharp end of the pin, the pin only moves when someone moves it.
The present invention may also be used in the Appliqué part of the quilt making process where layers of fabric are piled onto one another and then sewed together. Typically, there are a variety of glues and safety pins used to hold the materials together. In this process the pin moor of the present invention is very useful and efficient, as the pins are anchored to a pin moor, and no longer move or shift position until the quilter wants them to. The layers of fabric are placed where the user wants and a pin is inserted into the layers of fabric and the pin moor. This secures the pin and fabric in place until it is moved or removed by the user while sewing the fabric layers together, either by hand or machine.
Accordingly, the primary object of the present invention is to provide a pin moor or anchor, which secures a pin and any attached cloth or fabric in desired location. By using a plurality of such pin moors or anchors a surface network of support and positioning structures is created. The pin moor or anchor may be easily positioned and secured where desired by partially piercing the moor or anchor on any surface, and is very easy to use and efficient in operation.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.